GARDEN & ORCHARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3396, 16 April 1919, Page 9

GARDEN & ORCHARD.

By D. Taknock.

WORK FOR THE WEEK.

THE GREENHOUSE AND NURSERY.

Schizanthus seedlings will now be ready to prick out into boxes or small pots. Use a nice light soil mixture composed of fibrous loam one part, leai'mould one part, sand half a part;' place the newly-prick-out seedlings in the warm greenhouse, and shade during very bright weather until they take to the new soil. Continue to house chryaanthemums as the buds show colour, and as the tuberous begonias begin to show signs of ripening oft' they can be removed to a shelf m a dry frost-proof shed or a shelf in the greenhouse to continue the ripening process. The cinerarias in the frames will be growing rapidly now; they will require a little weak liquid manure once a week, and open up the frames on all except the very sunny days to ripen and firm up the foliage. Keep a sharp lookout for leaf-miner and greenfly. Cuttings of gazanias, marguerites, and such alpine plants as mossy phlox, Lithospermum prostratum, alpine candytufts, etc., can be put in now, and as we don't usually require very many of each kind it is better to put them into boxes which oaoi be shifted about from place to place. Make up a soil mixture consisting of loam two parts, leafmould one part, and sand half a part, also a little lime rubble and burnt soil if it is available. Spread a layer of clean sand on tap of the box. Take cuttings of nice, wellripened young shoots: prepare them _ by removing the bottom leaves from the piece of the cutting which is to be put into the soil, and cut the stem across immediately below a node. With a propagating stick made holes an inch to an inch and a-half deep and two inches apart; place the cuttings, in the holes, and make quite firm with the point of the stick; water at once, and place on the shady side of a hedge or wall. As soon as the cuttings callus, or begin to form roots, they can be shifted into a frame or a warm sunny position, where they will stand during the winter. Pansies, violas, pentstemons, calceolarias, and antirrhinums can now be put in, and as we usually require a considerable number of each it is better to prepare a special frame for them in a nice sheltered, shady position. Prepare the cutting bed by digging out the soil to a depth of six inches; place a_ layer of scrub or broken bricks in the bottom to provide drainage, and on top of this put a layer of rough material such as rough loam and well-decayed manure in equal parts, and on top of the rough material place two or three inches of cutting soil same as recommended for filling the boxes for the gazanias. Press the soil firmly, and place a layer of clean sand over all. This will provide a bed with two inches of drainage, two inches of rough material to prevent the soil from washing down into tho drainage, and two or three • inches of cutting soil. The best cuttings of violas and pansies are made from the shoots which spring from tho base of the flowering stems. Their stems are solid; they are young and vigorous and soon form roots, eventually developing into nice sturcW plants. If short shoots with a few roots can be obtained there is no need _to_ cut them off, but if tho shoots are long it is better to use the top two inches and cut the stem across immediately below a node or joint. Calceolaria cuttings are usually made • from the young shoots which ariso on tho main stems ; these are better when pulled off with a heel. Remove the lower leaves, and trim any strands of tissue off with the heel. Pcntstemon and antirrhinum cuttings are better taken off with a heel too, but. if tho shoots are too long, use the top three inohea, and out the stem across immediately below a node. After making the cuttings, which should not be allowed to wilt during the process, they can be dibbled into the bed two inches apart, watered, and shaded by tacking a piece of scrim over the bed and about six inches above the tops of the cuttings. If old scrim Is not

available a few pieces of scrubby branches laid on cross "sticks, also about 6in clear of the cuttings, will provide both shade and shelter. The shading can be' left on until spring, when it will be removed to allow the foliage to ripen up and to-pre-vent the little plants from becoming drawn when growth commences. It is hardly necessary to mention that cuttings should be taken from the best varieties, and these usually. produce fewej and weaker cuttings than the commoner and stronger-growing kinds. The most important thing in rooting herbaceous cuttings is to get nice, well-ripened, and yet young shoots, and to prevent them from wilting either before they are inserted or afterwards. THE FLOWER GARDEN. Continue to keep the flower borders neat and tidy; trim the grass verges, and pinch back edging plants of golden feather to prevent them from flowering. Remove asters and all annuals as they pass out of flower, and cut the flower stems off tho herbaceous plants which are past, but don't cut them right down until the leaves ripen and wither up. To cut off the leaves just now would weaken the tubers, bulbs, __ or underground stems, from which strong shoots will be sent up next season. Keep the lawns mown and everything tidy until after Easter.

Keep the seed pods picked off sweet peas, annual scabious, and dahlias, and continue to give the perennial asters (Michaelmas daisies) liquid manure once a week until the flowers begin to wither. Continue to prune rambler roses which are growing up poles or on rustic fences. Plant narcissi in be"3s, borders,' and the grass. Until the recent heavy rain it was not possible to plant bulbs in grass; the soil was too hard and dry, and the piece of turf which would have to be removed would have withered up. Tulips and hyacinths can still be planted, and both the small narcissi and the small tulips can be lined out in the nursery. Seeds of antirrhinums and other hardy bedding plants can be collected now before the capsules are quite ripe, when they would burst open and scatter the seeds :"n their own way. As soon as the seed pods and capsules are fully developed they can he collected provided they are cut off with the flower stalk attached. and placed in paper bags, which can be ralaced in a sunny part of the greenhouse or hung up in a dry airy shed. The ripening process will continue, and when the seed vessels burst the seeds will fall out into the bags. Care should be taken when collecting seeds to keep the varieties and colours apart, and to write the name of the kincf with the colour of the variety as well as the date on the bag. By keeping the colours separate one can mix the plants to get the right proportion of each when planting out." Seeds should be collected" from clean healthy plants, of the right type and of distinct shades or colotirs. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. Keep tho soil cultivated among all crops; thin out those which require it, and remove all spent crops. Peas can be sown now to provide early crops next spring. If the soil is cold and wet during the winter it is doubtful whether it is worth while sowing- in the autumn; the plants have such a bad tiino that spi-ing-sown seedlings often overtake them. On dry, warm, well-drained land, however, they will come through the winter all right and provide crops before Christmas. Don't manure the soil with stable manure, it encourages soft, sappy growth, which is liable to be damaged during the winter. Dig over the ground deeply, add a little superphosphate or basic sla<r; make firm and fino, and draw flat drills about two inches deep and six inches wide. Sow the peas thinly in these flat rows; cover with soil which was thrown out, make firm and fine, and cover with pieces of scrub until they germinate.

Varieties to sow nre Sutton's Hundredfold, Sutton's Pioneer, Chelsea Gem, and English Wonder. Root crops such as beetroots and carrots can_ bo dug now and stored in some convenient place for the winter. A dry, dark cellar would do, provided they are covered with sand or fine, soil, but as we fret eo little frost in Dunedin. they can be buried Bear a path where they can be obtained

without tramping over tho soil in wet weather. When lifting beetroot dig up with a fork, and take care not to damage the main root or to break off the side ones; trim off the leaves some distance from, the root, and handle carefully. Any damage to the root causes bleeding and consequent deterioration.

Parsnips should not be lifted until they ripen down;'turnips and the late sown carrots can also he left in the ground and pulled when required. Peas and broad beans, which were left to ripen to provide seed, can be collected now, and spread out m a dry. sunny, airy position until they are cleaned. Potatoes which wcro spread out to green can now be placed in the sprouting boxes, with the bud end up, and stood on the shady side of a wall or hedtfo. In districts where there is hard frost the greened seeds should be stored in a dry, frost-proof shed. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. M.C., Waipori Palls.—The honeysuckle is very liable to attacks of blight. Spray your plant with soapy water as hot as you can bear and continue this treatment once a week until the plant is clean. ' A.H. —Apricot and neotarino should not be pruned hard like apples, but I will be describing the pruning of all fruit trees later on. When tuberous begonias are frosted they can be lifted, the half of the foliage cut off, and then spread out in frames until the remainder ripens off. When tho tubers are dry they can be packed in dry soil and stored away in a dry, frost-proof shed or cellar for the winter.

H.H.D.—Name of plants: Coategus brusgali (blueberry), Dionella Australia.

An old couple living at Himatangi, and who for years past have derived the best part of their living from bee-keeping, had their swarms and hives dcstoryed by a departmental officer owing to. non-com-pliance with the regulations governing beefarming (reports the New Zeaand Times).